Street Urchins

October 15, 1985

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL — ''I ask for money but if the people don't want to give me any, then I steal.'' Reginaldo is one of thousands of homeless children who sleep out every night beneath bridges and in the streets and squares of Sao Paulo. Reginaldo, 12, said he left home two years ago because his parents drank and beat him. Local authorities say no accurate figures exist for the number of homeless children in the city of 14 million people. Estimates range from 10,000 to several times that. Police and welfare officers agree on one thing -- the number is rising along with the rate of juvenile crimes. The State Foundation for the Well-Being of Juveniles has criticized the government's proposal to impose tougher controls at juvenile centers.